In this photo, an older boy is proudly displaying the pumpkin he's chosen while on a trip to a pumpkin farm. Candids are great but so are photos of your kids looking right at the camera.

This photo is a great example of scale, showing the small baby standing next to a large pumpkin. Taken in the pumpkin field, it tells more of a story than if the baby was photographed with the pumpkin at home.

This photo is a great example of scale, showing the small baby standing next to a large pumpkin. Taken in the pumpkin field, it tells more of a story than if the baby was photographed with the pumpkin at home.

Late afternoon light is what many photographers call "golden light" because its so warm toned and is great for photographing people or any subject for that matter. You can also find this warm light just after sunrise.

Late afternoon light is what many photographers call "golden light" because its so warm toned and is great for photographing people or any subject for that matter. You can also find this warm light just after sunrise.

Signage like the wall in this photo makes a great backdrop for a picture of your kids, as well as a visual reminder of where you were when you took the shot.

You always want to take plenty of different photos to tell a story. In capturing a trip to a pumpkin farm, taking a photo of the many pumpkins in the field shows how vast and full the field is.

Autumn is a great time of year to take photographs—the leaves on trees are turning brilliant colors and falling to the ground in abstract patterns. Rake the leaves into piles and you’ve got a wonderful setting for fun family photos, of your kids jumping into the piles of leaves and tossing fistfuls of crunched up colorful leaves into the air.

Farm Stands & Pumpkin Farms

Visits to local farm stands or pumpkin farms are also great places to take photographs of your family enjoying the season. Take close ups of the pumpkins large and small, the oddly shaped gourds and colorful Indian corn. Look to capture the geometric shapes of bales of hay piled high and corn stalk mazes.

Always bring your camera when you go pumpkin picking—kids make great subjects as they run around the field, trying to pick up pumpkins that weigh half as much as they do or pulling a wagon full of pumpkins of various shapes and sizes. Even a treat such as a cup of warm cider or roasted corn on the cob make for great images when you’re capturing your family enjoying themselves.

You’ll want to take plenty of candid photos as well as one or two of the kids looking at the camera, smiling proudly with their chosen pumpkins. Shoot a variety of shots, from wide landscapes of the fields at the farm, to medium shots of the kids with their pumpkins to close ups of the vegetables on display. A variety of images will help tell a better story.

Your photo story doesn’t end when you leave the pumpkin farm. Do you normally carve Jack O’ Lanterns for displaying in your house or yard? Then you’ll want to take plenty of photos as your family enjoys the fun of creating their own ghoulish Jack O’ Lanterns. Take lots of photos of your kids proudly displaying their creations.

If you set out your Jack O’ Lanterns at night, using candles or flashlights to light up the insides for a festive glow, and want to take photos of them, you’ll want to put the camera on a tripod or rest it on a sturdy surface, use a slow shutter speed and no flash, to capture the glowing light coming from the Jack O’ Lantern, as well as some ambient light around them. Bracket your exposure and take lots of shots to make sure you get a great one that you love.

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Autumn is a very colorful season, not only as the leaves change but because of the vibrant, colorful subjects you can find such as this Indian corn. Whether you photograph a bunch hanging on a door, or close up like these stalks on display at a farm stand, capturing the fine detail of the kernals makes for a great photo.

Autumn is a very colorful season, not only as the leaves change but because of the vibrant, colorful subjects you can find such as this Indian corn. Whether you photograph a bunch hanging on a door, or close up like these stalks on display at a farm stand, capturing the fine detail of the kernals makes for a great photo.

Along with the large pumpkins in the field, you can make great photos of mini-pumpkins and gourds. Instead of focusing on fine detail, this image is more abstract, capturing the swaths of white and orange color next to one another.

Along with the large pumpkins in the field, you can make great photos of mini-pumpkins and gourds. Instead of focusing on fine detail, this image is more abstract, capturing the swaths of white and orange color next to one another.

You can find oddly shaped and colorful gourds of all sizes at farm stands and even your local grocery store during the Fall harvest season. Even if you don't have a farm nearby to visit, you can purchase gourds, pumpkins, hay and Indian corn and set up your own still life image to shoot.

You can find oddly shaped and colorful gourds of all sizes at farm stands and even your local grocery store during the Fall harvest season. Even if you don't have a farm nearby to visit, you can purchase gourds, pumpkins, hay and Indian corn and set up your own still life image to shoot.

Fun Halloween Photos

Halloween itself is a wonderful day for pictures. It's a great opportunity for you to take photos of your kids in costume, to chronicle their growth and changing “favorite” costume. And, if they’re wearing a scary costume such as a ghoulish monster, have them make a scary face for the photo—keeping in character.

If you take your kids Trick or Treating in a group, remember to take photos of all the kids together. Don’t forget to grab a picture of the parents as well, especially if you all dress up in costume too!

At the end of the day (or evening), grab a shot of the kids with their haul of candy. For a playful photo, have them dump out their bag or basket or hold up fistfuls of candy while grinning proudly at the camera.

Do you dress up your furry friends in Halloween costumes too? Remember to take photos of them as well.

Since you may be taking some Halloween photographs in low light, at dusk or early evening, you’ll want to increase your ISO and turn on your flash. Fill flash will work well to help capture the mood at dusk. Use the Night Portrait setting if your camera has one. It basically tells the camera to fire the flash, but also use a slow shutter speed to pick up any streetlights that may be lit in the background.

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Waiting until dusk or evening to take a photo of carved and lit up Jack O' Lanterns in front of your home will make a great image. Be careful when using lit candles or use a flashlight inside of the pumpkins to light up the inside for a fun "eerie glow". Use a tripod in low light to make sure your subjects are sharp.

Waiting until dusk or evening to take a photo of carved and lit up Jack O' Lanterns in front of your home will make a great image. Be careful when using lit candles or use a flashlight inside of the pumpkins to light up the inside for a fun "eerie glow". Use a tripod in low light to make sure your subjects are sharp.

Having your kids paint their pumpkins can be just as much fun as carving Jack O' Lanterns.

Having your kids paint their pumpkins can be just as much fun as carving Jack O' Lanterns.

Carved Jack O' Lanterns make great subjects for Halloween photographs and fun reminders for your kids, especially if they were the ones who did the pumpkin carving. Autumn leaves add a touch of authenticity to the image.

Carved Jack O' Lanterns make great subjects for Halloween photographs and fun reminders for your kids, especially if they were the ones who did the pumpkin carving. Autumn leaves add a touch of authenticity to the image.